Thailand Man Gets 28 Years In Jail For Online Posts Against Monarchy

The kingdom's lese-majeste (a crime against The Crown) laws are among the harshest in the world and rights groups say they are misused to suppress public debate.

A Thai court sentenced a man to 28 years in prison for insulting the monarchy in online posts, his lawyer said Thursday.

The kingdom's lese-majeste (a crime against The Crown) laws are among the harshest in the world and rights groups say they are misused to suppress public debate.

A court in the northern city of Chiang Rai found Mongkol Tirakote, 29, an online clothing vendor and activist, guilty in two separate royal defamation cases.

His prison sentence was originally 42 years but the court reduced it following his testimony, his lawyer told AFP.